Pirates & Princesses Party - Don't bother!!

[beattyfamily]

Disney has had special ticketed events for many years. I love them. MVMCP is one of my favorites. Guests know well in advance when the park is closing to the general public. I guess things have changed. They used to not make you leave the park....you just couldn't get on any of the rides.

That would be true for EMH nights but not for hard ticket events. They have always tried their very hardest to get non-paying guests out of the park so those who paid can enjoy the festivities without huge non-paying crowds.

Before 2000, they would even close the park for two hours to clear it out. Then they changed it to closing for an hour to clear it and now it's just a change over with no actual closing of the park (unfortunately).

 

[fan1080]

During our trip the latest the Magic Kingdom was open was 8pm. So I don't think closing 1 hour early a couple days a week is that big of a deal. I don't understand why it upsets people of makes them feel cheated.

Other than the night of the P&PP party, the earliest MK was closed last week was 9pm.

But, also consider, why is it necessary to close the park early for these things? They should be scheduled around normal operating hours. That way, those of us who have purchased tickets for the length of our stay aren't left with a feeling of being cut short.

And, one more interesting note to those who have continuously mentioned that more research was needed on my part. I did my research, made my plans, arranged all my ADR's, with the park hours, EMH, etc, all in consideration. When I made those plans, MK was scheduled for an 8pm close, with Wishes scheduled for 6:45pm. That's why I chose a 5:30 CRT ADR, so we could exit CRT and catch wishes. But, as with alot of things, schedules are subject to change. Turns out it impacted our plans significantly, and it was a late change by Disney which left us with no way to change our ADR's because there were no other openings.

 

[WDSearcher]

When I made those plans, MK was scheduled for an 8pm close, with Wishes scheduled for 6:45pm. That's why I chose a 5:30 CRT ADR, so we could exit CRT and catch wishes. But, as with alot of things, schedules are subject to change. Turns out it impacted our plans significantly, and it was a late change by Disney which left us with no way to change our ADR's because there were no other openings.

This is the part I don't understand. If you had already PLANNED to be out of MK by 8pm, you knew that MK wouldn't be open later than that. Disney changed their times, apparently, and the park closed at 7pm instead. But otherwise -- taking the rude CMs out of the equation -- I don't understand why the difference of one hour caused so much consternation. You were already planning on having to leave by 8. It's not like your original plan was that MK would be open until mindnight and Disney changed it to 7.

Was it that you weren't able to see Wishes? If that was the case -- if your original schedule showed Wishes that night and then it ended up not being performed, or being performed earlier, causing you to miss it due to your dinner plans -- then you certainly should have gone to Guest Relations to let them know how that change impacted you, and you'd have likely gotten "raincheck" tickets, since Disney made that change after you'd made your plans.

Wondering, though ... would it have not been a "rip-off" if MK had closed and not had a P&PP that night? Because it seems that the only thing you're really mad about -- again, taking the rude CMs out of the equation -- is that you were asked to leave, but the people who paid more than you could stay. And that seems ... odd. You PAID for a park that you KNEW was closing early that day. You went in knowing that you wouldn't be at MK any later than 8pm and you paid for it anyway. Would it have been less of an annoyance if the park closed at 8pm and there was no special event?

Re: the rude CMs -- that's certainly enough to ruin any otherwise normal day, particularly if you had an underwhelming meal just before it. But again ... if you had enjoyed your meal more and had been able to get your photos in front of the castle, I'm thinking you might feel less animosity towards Disney for their hard-ticket event.

 

[fan1080]

This is the part I don't understand. If you had already PLANNED to be out of MK by 8pm, you knew that MK wouldn't be open later than that. Disney changed their times, apparently, and the park closed at 7pm instead. But otherwise -- taking the rude CMs out of the equation -- I don't understand why the difference of one hour caused so much consternation. You were already planning on having to leave by 8. It's not like your original plan was that MK would be open until mindnight and Disney changed it to 7.

Was it that you weren't able to see Wishes? If that was the case -- if your original schedule showed Wishes that night and then it ended up not being performed, or being performed earlier, causing you to miss it due to your dinner plans -- then you certainly should have gone to Guest Relations to let them know how that change impacted you, and you'd have likely gotten "raincheck" tickets, since Disney made that change after you'd made your plans.

Wondering, though ... would it have not been a "rip-off" if MK had closed and not had a P&PP that night? Because it seems that the only thing you're really mad about -- again, taking the rude CMs out of the equation -- is that you were asked to leave, but the people who paid more than you could stay. And that seems ... odd. You PAID for a park that you KNEW was closing early that day. You went in knowing that you wouldn't be at MK any later than 8pm and you paid for it anyway. Would it have been less of an annoyance if the park closed at 8pm and there was no special event?

Re: the rude CMs -- that's certainly enough to ruin any otherwise normal day, particularly if you had an underwhelming meal just before it. But again ... if you had enjoyed your meal more and had been able to get your photos in front of the castle, I'm thinking you might feel less animosity towards Disney for their hard-ticket event.

I think the majority of my disappointment comes from our plans being disrupted by the late changes they made. We lost an hour in the park from the original schedule they released when we made our plans and ADR's, and of course wishes ended up being completely cancelled that night too, so we had to go back another night to see wishes.

I didn't even realize that the park would be open for a special event. When we exited CRT (around 7pm), I was surprised to see large crowds because I was expecting a fairly empty park due to the 7pm closing.

I think it would be better if Disney scheduled the special events after normal park hours, rather than closing the park early for it. I know I'm only complaining about an hour difference, but it did affect our plans significantly and it annoyed me (maybe more than it should have) that it was going to be open until 11pm and we could stay if we were willing to pay the additional $250 for our family of 5 (assuming tickets were available). I'm not sure you get great value for $250, considering our 5 person, 8 day tickets cost about $1000.

 

[WDSearcher]

I think the majority of my disappointment comes from our plans being disrupted by the late changes they made. We lost an hour in the park from the original schedule they released when we made our plans and ADR's, and of course wishes ended up being completely cancelled that night too, so we had to go back another night to see wishes.

I didn't even realize that the park would be open for a special event. When we exited CRT (around 7pm), I was surprised to see large crowds because I was expecting a fairly empty park due to the 7pm closing.

I think it would be better if Disney scheduled the special events after normal park hours, rather than closing the park early for it. I know I'm only complaining about an hour difference, but it did affect our plans significantly and it annoyed me (maybe more than it should have) that it was going to be open until 11pm and we could stay if we were willing to pay the additional $250 for our family of 5 (assuming tickets were available). I'm not sure you get great value for $250, considering our 5 person, 8 day tickets cost about $1000.

OK ... that seems to make sense. But for the people who haven't got tickets to the park -- those just attending P&PP that week or those who are using P&PP as an "extra" day -- paying $50 to get into the park after-hours is worth it. You can enter as early as 4pm and stay until 11, which gives you seven hours for your money, which is pretty decent. You get special meet & greets, rides with few lines, special shows and fireworks, special parade, and other "extras." So it's not as though Disney is saying, "You just spent $1000 for your 8-day tickets and now you need to give us $250 more for the exact same experience you get during the day." You're looking at it as if you and your family would pay the extra $250 and just have a regular time in the parks with no extra "event" stuff going on. If you look at it that way then yes ... it's a bad deal. But you're not paying $250 extra to stay in the parks and just continue your day. There are other exclusive things going on.

The thing is, you keep saying "Why can't Disney do these parties after the park closes?" But ... they ARE. Granted, in your case, the party affected what had been an 8pm closing time and made it 7pm instead. So I'm thinking that, had the park closed at 8pm after Wishes and everyone left and then reopened at, say, 10pm for the party, you'd have had no problem with it. Because you'd have left at the time you expected to leave, seen the shows you expected to see, and would have not been impacted by others who were able to enter later.

Is it better for MK to do a "hard close" between dayguests and party-goers, or is it better to allow the dayguests to stay a bit longer and kind of dovetail daily ops into the party? All I can say to that is that it's obviously a better deal to the P&PP folks to be able to go into MK at 4pm and stay, as opposed to not being able to enter until much later.

But I agree with you that once Disney chooses a closing time -- be that 8pm, 11pm or 4:30pm -- they should stick with it so that people can realistically plan.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

We went to a P&PP in August and absolutely loved it! We ended up spending 16 hours at MK that day! I suffered for it the next day but we had a ball and thought the party was excellent. DH got his face painted like a pirate and I got mine done like Tinkerbell and we really got into it. So, I really don't get what the OP is complaining about, especially since the others who attended that night contradict a lot of what he says.

I guess a little light reading on these boards could have helped you.

Exactly! It sounds to me like the OP simply wasn't prepared. That's hardly Disney's fault. And I hope that this thread doesn't turn people off from the P&PP because, like everything Disney, if you take a minute to plan things, you'll have a great time.

I did see the line for SM as 30 minutes the entire night.

Peter pan was 10-20 minutes the night. Most other stuff was 5-10 minute waits.

It was a lot more crowded than I was let on to believe!!!

Assuming that you are correct about the amount of time you waited in line, 30 mins for SM and 5-10 mins for everything else is not a long wait. What exactly were you expecting?

Value for money? Depends what you are looking for your value from. As we were three (supposed) adults, we weren't too bothered about the treats although we did collect some necklaces to take home to my neice who loved them. For us it was a chance to see a different parade, fireworks and do as many rides as possible and as that night it was pretty empty, for us it was good value

That's how we looked at it too. We were two adults. We didn't care about cheap treats and the fireworks and parade were the best we saw in our lives. Seems like a good deal to us.

I've said it on a few other threads....but my biggest disappointment was that there were no Prince Charming, Prince Eric, etc sightings except on the parade. I don't quite get that....if they were already in the park for the parade why weren't they out wandering around or at least in Toontown with their ladies for pics?

Just wanted to comment on this. It's my understanding that the CMs who perform are not the same CMs who greet.

[

There are no decorations at the park AT ALL! The only thing they have is a Mickey Dressed as a pirate and Minnie dressed as a princess by the entrance. Oh and some treasure by WTC. That is it!! Very different than the other ticket events.

That's simply not true. As you can see by the photos posted on this thread, there certainly were decorations. When we went in August, we were quite impressed. We especially liked the lights.

This is the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH. If you can't come with that mind set, do us a favor and DON'T COME. You are ruining it for the rest of us. Vacation somewhere else.

AMEN to that!

I wasn't questioning park hours, that's easy to find. I was referring to info regarding the P&PP. Didn't see, read or hear anything about it during our stay. In fact, I didn't hear anything about it before our arrival either.

Had you not visited the WDW website? If you did, you could have easily found info on P&PP. It's kind of a big deal around here. If you had asked us why MK was closing early, you would have gotten at least 20 replies telling you why.

 

[fan1080]

Had you not visited the WDW website? If you did, you could have easily found info on P&PP.

Yes, I did. I explained that in another post. I made my plans which included which park to visit on what day, tour reservations, dinner reservations, etc, all in reference to the Disney Calendar on their website.

As with anything, schedules are subject to change. In our case the schedule did change and not in a time frame that allowed us to make changes. This simple change in schedule had a significant impact on our plans.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Yes, I did. I explained that in another post. I made my plans which included which park to visit on what day, tour reservations, dinner reservations, etc, all in reference to the Disney Calendar on their website.

As with anything, schedules are subject to change. In our case the schedule did change and not in a time frame that allowed us to make changes. This simple change in schedule had a significant impact on our plans.

Since you did so much research, I'm wondering where this comment came from;

We had reservations at the over-priced CRT for 5:30 (where not one princess appeared during our dinner, btw).

If you had done research on the Disney website, it clearly lists breakfast and lunch as character meals, and dinner as just that, dinner. How could you have done research and not known that? You seem to be contradicting yourself.

 

[Brian Noble]

Yes, please don't bother. In particular, definitely avoid the party on the 26th of February. Yep, avoid that one. It will be horrible. Really. Please, stay away. Run for your lives! Floods! Locusts! PLAGUE!

(But, if you do go, feel free to say hi to me. I'll be one of the people having fun.)

 

[typhoonlagooner]

I guess it really is going to come down to your expectations and what you want out of an event.

Decoration wise, MVMCP and MNSSHP will definately take top honors. But we don't really go for the decorations and keep in mind that you can see any of these decorations during normal park hours at the MK.

While the treat situation is a disapointment, I can't imagine how a few pieces of chocolate would be that "amazing" lol. Yes... don't get me wrong... I LOVE my candy... but surely you can't be paying $50 for 7 pieces of chocolate? I don't see how chocolate relates to a pirate and princess party anyways... I think we just got "spoiled" with the idea from last year. Everything seems to be in order to us, jewels for P&P, candy for trick or treating at MNSSHP, and hot chocolate and cookies at MVMCP. I'm thinking a nice meet in the middle would be chocolate coins mixed with the jewelry

In the end, I do feel that when comparing these 3 parties, P&P will rank the lowest, but it's like comparing apples and oranges. Either way I don't approve of Disney charging the same price for this party compared to the other 2. To us, P&P is very much a "glorified" EMH night.

We're looking forward to our party night but more for the attractions and fireworks than anything else (this is our only MK time for our short trip). So for our personal expectations, P&P should be a major success. If we were going for more of the overall experience/"event"... we'd probably be hesitant of the idea/price tag. To each their own though!

 

[danielle782001]

That's simply not true. As you can see by the photos posted on this thread, there certainly were decorations. When we went in August, we were quite impressed. We especially liked the lights.QUOTE]

I am so confused

I don't need to see the photos, I was there this year

There were no lights when we went this past Jan. 08 or decorations INSIDE THE MK.... Yes, there was the Mickey and Minnie before you enter the park and the treasure near WTC (which I stated in my pp). But nothing in the park. No one else here said and posted a pic of anything INSIDE the park. I only see three things that were outside the park or bu WTC. There really was nothing special inside the park... If it was special we would have noticed it. We have been for other parties and there were decorations all around that we took notice of and took pics of... Not this time.

Someone that was there this year can correct me if I am wrong. Just don't remember seeing anything inside.

 

[mamaLori05]

HMMM, sounds like a complainer to me!! Did you enjoy anything during your trip????

Also sounds like you didn't do your research, but are trying to pretend that you did. I have found it mentioned in several places that:
1. there are no characters at CRT dinner
2. If the park is closing early, there is no night parade or wishes
3. Info on the P&PP galore (which also mentioned that you will be escorted to leave if you are there without your wristband past 7:00pm. Seriously, that does mean you too.)

Some people are never happy I guess.

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

Someone that was there this year can correct me if I am wrong. Just don't remember seeing anything inside.

I posted some inside the park pictures earlier in the thread. (we were there 1/26 and 1/29) While I fully agree that it lacked in decor there was some. Cinderella's carriage was out. There was a backdrop prop for Belle to stand in. There was special lighting in a lot of places. Like there was princess shaped silhouettes here and there, there were pirate ones on the buildings on main street. There was a lot of cool colored lighting and "smoke" around the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. There were twinkling banners that said "Princess Party", "Pirate Party". They played special music on the park speakers. Over by by Space Mountain they had some pirate things set up where kids could play games (at least I think that is what they were doing) and they had a cool pirate backdrop where you could have your pic with Mickey and his crew in Pirate gear. Hmmm... That's all I can remember right now.

The other parties seem so much more themed but that has to be because those decorations stay up for a month or more at a time.

 

[danielle782001]

That's simply not true. As you can see by the photos posted on this thread, there certainly were decorations. When we went in August, we were quite impressed. We especially liked the lights.

I quess you can count the fabric across the entrance and the lights on the trees as you enter the party decorations.... the carriage was a picture spot, so I did not think of that as a decoration either... I stand corrected... there were a couple of decorations inside the actual park.... But not much... I honestly don't remember there being any lights... I just remembering loving the other party decorations so much... It was just a let down this time around.

Oh well, we still had a good time.... No lines, a nice parade, and great fireworks... And of course, a cheap half day in the park

 

[fan1080]

Since you did so much research, I'm wondering where this comment came from;If you had done research on the Disney website, it clearly lists breakfast and lunch as character meals, and dinner as just that, dinner. How could you have done research and not known that? You seem to be contradicting yourself.

Thanks for pointing out my inadequacies, very thoughtful, and has nothing to do with the points I've raised. I guess I need to polish up on my research abilities!

For heavens sake, why was that necessary?

 

[fan1080]

HMMM, sounds like a complainer to me!! Did you enjoy anything during your trip????

Also sounds like you didn't do your research, but are trying to pretend that you did. I have found it mentioned in several places that:
1. there are no characters at CRT dinner
2. If the park is closing early, there is no night parade or wishes
3. Info on the P&PP galore (which also mentioned that you will be escorted to leave if you are there without your wristband past 7:00pm. Seriously, that does mean you too.)

Some people are never happy I guess.

lol, I just love the tone of this one.

Too funny.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I posted some inside the park pictures earlier in the thread. (we were there 1/26 and 1/29) While I fully agree that it lacked in decor there was some.

Just to clarify: You quoted me as saying that there were no decorations in your posts but that was somebody else. I agree with you.

I honestly don't remember there being any lights...

Really? Besides what's already been mentioned by #1 Pocahontas in the previous post, when we were there they projected light images of treasure chests and things against the castle. That was one of my favourite touches.

 

[danielle782001]

Just to clarify: You quoted me as saying that there were no decorations in your posts but that was somebody else. I agree with you.



Really? Besides what's already been mentioned by #1 Pocahontas in the previous post, when we were there they projected light images of treasure chests and things against the castle. That was one of my favourite touches.

Really We missed that.

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

Just to clarify: You quoted me as saying that there were no decorations in your posts but that was somebody else. I agree with you.

Your right, and I totally didn't mean to quote you. I fixed it. I'm not sure how that happened.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Thanks for pointing out my inadequacies, very thoughtful, and has nothing to do with the points I've raised. I guess I need to polish up on my research abilities!

For heavens sake, why was that necessary?

You did point out that there were no characters at dinner. I was only pointing out something that you had "researched," that is very easy to find information on. A lot of websites and guidebooks make a point of saying that breakfast and lunch are character meals, but dinner isn't. If it had nothing to do with your point, then why did you complain about the lack of characters in your OP?